So, it's been a couple of weeks since I posted my workouts. My ankle is finally starting to feel better! I purchased a copper compression sleeve for my ankle, and it did ease the pain a bit (<---amazon affiliate link). As soon as my ankle got better, the girls and I picked up another cold/sinus infection. There is always something! Because of this, my workouts have been a little less intense and I've taken a lot more rest days. Oh well. I'm trying to focus more on overall wellness and I'm not interested in overexerting myself when sick or injured!
In other news, my twins weaned from breastfeeding last week. We made it to just under 18 months! They were down to one feeding per day and I'm pretty sure all 3 of us were ready. I know they loved it, but they were really good sports and went to bed just fine without it. It's such a bittersweet time.
The good news is (despite how tired I look in this 5 am pre-workout photo), I have SO much more energy since weaning. School is going to get more intense very soon and I was definitely struggling with my energy level. I'm glad to start to feel like "myself" again, despite the difficulty of this emotional milestone!
The girls have also been playing together a TON. It's hilarious, wonderful, and awful - all at the same time. They really haven't cared for each other much and I always wished for them to play together... until now. It's like a three-ring circus in here! They are chasing each other, tackling each other, biting each other, hitting each other... I think you get the picture. There are some really sweet moments though, too. There are hugs, kisses, and yesterday Twin B was giving Twin A water when she was sick and then patted her on the head.
I can't complain. It's really cute to see them interact and learn about each other every day. They are growing fast!
Back to workouts :-)
Sunday: 5/8
Found this on instagram, @Crossfit_wod_wide
6 rounds for time:
3 deadlifts, 155#
4 ring dips (assisted with band)
5 strict press (35#)
6 burpees
I finished in 10:36
then:
4 x jump rope tabata (16 minute total)
1 x tabata KB swing
1 x tabata KB snatches
1 x tabata strict press (20#)
Monday: 5/9
3 x 3 chin ups
3 x 10 bicep curls, 35# (total)
4, 3, 2 banded chin ups
3 x 15 bicep curls, 20#
3 x 10 tricep dips
3 x 10 skull crushers (20#)
3 x 10 OH tricep ext (10#)
3 x 10 triceps pull down
Tuesday: 5/10
Off, not feeling well
Wednesday: 5/11
"Me, Myself, and My Bar" - I think I found this workout on instagram, @Wodcrossfit
For time, all with 45#:
100 push press
75 back squats
50 hang cleans
25 front squats
I finished in 17:17. This one is WAY harder than it seems. My quads were sore for days, and the push press section was really difficult.
Thursday: 5/12
3 sets of max pull ups
3 sets of max chin ups
3 sets of max neutral grip pull ups
repeat above using band ^ for 3 sets
3 x 10 bicep curls with 45# bar
Superset:
3 x 10 barbell bent over rows 45#
3 x 10 one armed rows 20#
3 x 8 bicep curls, 35# total
3 x 15 bicep curls, 20#
3 x 10 ring rows
Friday: 5/13
off, busy day of appointments and errands
Saturday: 5/14
Straight leg deadlift
4 x 10 at 95#
1 x 10 at 115#
3 x 5 at 125#
3 x 10 KB goblet squat
3 x 10 high step ups (30" box)
superset:
3 x 12 one legged KB deadlift (each leg)
3 x 10 kickstand KB deadlift (see more info here)
3 x 1:00 glute bridge holds with 25# plate
cash out: 100 walking lunges
walked/jogged 2 miles
Sunday: 5/15
off
I hope you're having a great week! Let me know in the comments if you had any great workouts :-)

Hello there! I'm back to post my workouts this week. I had a pretty unplugged weekend, and it was really nice. The girls and I spent some time with family and I got a decent amount of schoolwork done. Saturday we went to my school for this agricultural fair, it was really cute! The girls were still a little young for it, but we got to see cows, chickens, sheep, etc. The university also has their own homemade ice cream facility, where they have no-sugar added vanilla. It's pretty much everything I've ever wanted in an ice cream. I wish it was a more common thing - most desserts are too sweet for me! The girls tried it and didn't really love it. Whose kids are they??
....At least they are cute in their little rain jackets!
In other news, I twisted my ankle during a workout. I didn't even realize it was a problem until afterward when the side of it turned blue and I had some serious ligament pain. I've been icing/compressing/elevating and it's slowly starting to feel better. I already have some issues with my left ankle because I broke it 7 years ago, now my right is the problem. I ordered one of those copper compression sleeves to see if it will help. In the meantime, I'm going to avoid any leg/high impact workouts for at least the next week. It's really hard with this type of soft-tissue injury - on one hand, I'd like to get back to normal workouts ASAP... on the other, I don't want to make it worse and be out of commission for even longer. I'm just going to take this opportunity to focus on upper body strength and dial in my diet. Working out is a lifestyle thing for me and I'd rather not injure myself long-term!

This post contains affiliate links - thank you for your support!
One of the biggest reasons that I started a blog is because I've always loved reading them. There are several that I've been following for 7+ years. Whether it's just a glimpse into someone else's day, or a serious, well-researched opinion piece - it's free information that is up to date and right at our fingertips. I don't know about you, but I don't have a whole lot of time for reading lengthy novels or nonfiction books lately. So, I just wanted to share some of my favorite posts from the week with you!
By the way - if you like to read blogs and don't have a feedly, I highly recommend getting one! It keeps everything organized, so you don't have to have 1000 tabs open or annoying bookmarks.
1.Proteinaholic Review from Raw Food SOS
Denise Minger wrote the book Death by Food Pyramid, which is an exposé on the politics and special interests groups that influence the US dietary guidelines. In this (super lengthy) blog post she breaks down the good and the bad of the book, Proteinaholic, by Dr. Garth Davis. This book promotes a plant-based, low protein diet. Denise's rebuttal is well organized and fair. What I thought was an especially interesting point, was the comparison of the human diet to that orangutans and gorillas. Dr. Davis argues that because they are strong and eat only vegetation, humans can and should do the same thing. Denise then discusses how humans have entirely different guts, dominated by the small intestine rather than the colon, which are not designed to ferment 40+ pounds of plants per day like these herbivorous primates.
If you'd like to read more about this - definitely check it out!
2. The Problem with Undereating
I pretty much always like what anyone at Girls Gone Strong has to say. In this post, they discuss really low calorie diets (think 1200/day) and what you should do instead for weight loss.
3. 10 Common Primal Mistakes You Might Be Making
Everyone who starts a new diet or lifestyle usually has a time where they go overboard. I knowit was definitely that way for me when I started eating primal/paleo. Now, I just follow my instincts about what I think is healthy and try not to stress as much - i.e. I really don't care that I eat rice, popcorn, or quinoa. Mark Sisson discusses some great points in this post, and I'm guilty of pretty much all of them. Some of my favorites are: not eating pounds and pounds of bacon or almond flour treats just because they are "paleo," and not buying too many supplements and crazy stuff to support the lifestyle. I think there is a great internet community that supports real food. However, sometimes people will get in partnership with companies and make you think you need to buy this collagen supplement, oil, bars or whatever - as if you're not paleo if you don't buy it! It's so not true.
4. Millenial Farmers Fight an Uphill Battle
Did you know the average age of the american farmer is 58 years old? This article discusses the younger farmers coming on to the scene (I hope to be one of them), who eschew conventional ideas of factory farming and are starting a new food movement. I particularly loved this comment at the end of the article:

"Even with all of the difficulties getting started, the risk, the time investment, change of lifestyle (I was a tech entrepreneur, and my wife an accountant), I would do it all over again. Getting up before dawn, drinking a cup of coffee as I watch the sun start to climb the hills, taking my 3 kids out before school to feed the animals, knowing that everything I do that day will have some kind of lasting effect on our goals as a family operation, is incredibly fulfilling. We are just starting out, and we have much to learn, but I'm looking forward to next 45 years of my life with even greater anticipation. How much more could you ask for."

Wow, that comment is just... everything.
5. Got Allergies? Your Gut Microbes Could Be Responsible
Great read about adding in foods that support gut microbiota diversity. I'm definitely not doing as good of a job as I should, especially since I struggle with allergies and asthma.
6. Why You Should Ditch the Classes and Pick Up Some Weights
Alyssa, from Mom on the Move, started out with group fitness - but quickly realized it wasn't giving her the results she wanted. She's definitely not bashing people for getting moving (because any exercise is good!), but she is pointing out that a lot can be missing from your standard aerobics-type class.
7. 9 Tips for Helping Your Little Ones Adjust to a Time Difference
With a couple of super long flights to Hawaii and back with twins, I can totally relate to her tips here. The time difference once we got to our destination was definitely less of a big deal than it was just getting through the 9 hour flights! I was lucky enough to sit next to a former OB/GYN last time who LOVED babies and didn't mind being kicked while they nursed LOL.
8. Maybe This Is The Easy Part
Great post from a mommy of twins + 2. I don't know how she does it, but she has an awesome outlook on the whole situation!
Thanks for reading!
If you have any posts that you'd like to me to read and potentially add to the next volume, please contact me - (ashley [at] downhomeduo.com) or comment.
If you have any thoughts on these posts - I would love to read them below!

(This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support! As always, please see disclaimer here).
Hello! Hope you had a great weekend. Just wanted to pop in real quick and document my workouts, etc. If this week had a category, it would be "a little bit of everything." I just kind of felt like mixing it up and doing some random circuits that I made up.
I also started carb cycling a bit this week. I'm always looking to try new things, so my goal is to decrease carbs to <50 grams twice per week (on rest days or active recovery days) and see what happens. I did intermittent fasting for a while, but I found that didn't mesh well with switching to early morning workouts - I would just get hungry and be crabby all day. I feel like carb cycling is a little more gentle, but might still have a similar fat burning effect. I'll do a post on it at some point down the road!
I think I'm starting to see some definition in the arm + back department!
In other news, my twins have been super upset the past few days. I suspect it's teething (as usual), but it's been a lot to handle. They've also learned how to say "no" in context. It's the standard answer to every question now. Lord help me.
See above - Twin A being sassy and Twin B looking sad. How many teeth do humans have again??
Anyway, back to workouts:
Monday: 4/18
warm up: jump rope
deadlift: worked up to 5 sets at 165#
Tuesday: 4/19
3 rounds:
10 high, 24" step ups (each leg)
10 slow hand-release push ups (3 secs down, 1 sec pause at bottom)
20 jump squats
10 chest flies on the rings
10 in and outs
100 jump ropes
10 tricep dips on box
Wednesday: 4/20
rest day!
Thursday: 4/21
warm up: worked on ankle mobility - banded lunges + static squat holds
3 x 5 band-assisted ring dips
WOD:
every 3 minutes for 7 rounds
10 straight leg deadlifts (65#)
5 power snatches (65#)
10 overhead squats
*I'm really not there yet with overhead squats, since my ankle mobility is not that great. Instead of adding weight, I use a resistance band (like this one - I have black). If you grip the band wide and pull it tight, you'll end up contracting your back muscles instead of "shrugging" while you hold your arms up. I'm hoping to add weight soon - but I'm taking my time in getting the form right so I don't hurt myself!
Friday: 4/22
warm up: jump rope
strength: power cleans - worked up to 105#
WOD: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 .... 1
hang cleans (65#)
front squats (65# - don't drop the bar in between cleans + squats!!)
burpees
took me 14:45 - I was moving very slow, this is WAY tougher than it looks. I definitely challenge you to give it a try. I was panic breathing the entire time!
Saturday: 4/23
max banded pull ups x 3
max banded chin ups x 3
3 x 10 ring rows (with pause at the top of movement)
supersets:
1. 3 x 5 floor press (65# - works best if you have bumpers - or if you have a bench, use it!)
2. 3 x 10 push ups
1. 3 x 15 glute bridges (65#)
2. 3 x 20 reverse lunges w/ 10# at each side
1. 3 x 10 bent over rows (barbell - 65#)
2. 3 x 10 bicep curls (35#)
3. 3 x 10 one arm bent over rows (20#)
1. 3 x 10 hanging knee raises
2. 3 x 10 "tick tocks" (35#)
Sunday: 4/24
rest day/"crop fit" - I started a very small garden!
I cleared out this bed and planted all of the things that like to be planted this time of year - onions, two types of kale, lettuces, spinach, peas, beans, broccoli, thyme, rosemary, parsley + summer squashes. I'm going to wait a few weeks for tomatoes, peppers, basil, etc. I planted the kale and lettuces on the side using this bag method. We'll see what happens!
Monday: 4/25
The "Bear Complex"
without dropping the bar, you do hang clean + front squat + push press + back squat + push press = 1 rep.
(except I did 7 sets of 5 reps instead of 7x7. I was trying to go heavier than normal, this is the kind of thing I usually do very light! Believe me, 65# is very challenging with this)
1: 45# 2: 55# 3: 65# 4: 65# 5: 65# 6: 55# 7: 55#
then: 3 rounds of:
5 band-assisted ring dips
10 skull crushers (20#)
10 OH triceps extension (10#)
10 triceps pull down (I used a band)
I'd love to hear about some of your workouts this week!Have you ever done carb cycling? Anyone else starting a garden? I could use all of the tips I can get!